Halloween Selects: “The Void”

Ah, the 80s. Horror movies like Re-Animator and The Fly relied upon more conventional means to scare you. Some modern horror movies rely on the inclusion of computer special effects and following a popular genre such as resting on laurels along the explosion of “found footage” movies. Recently, horror movies have stepped outside themselves, while many independent creatives strive to push their boundaries.

2016’s The Void, which is directed by Steven Kostanski and Jeremy Gillespie found it’s origins start on a crowdfunding Indiegogo campaign. As many fans believed in the practical vision that the makers promised, it was pledged $82,510. The movie does not disappoint in this respect. The Void is a dark, unearthly tale that borrows a lot of Lovecraftian inspiration and integrates it into something unique. Many fans who were fans of the original metamorphic aliens in 1982’s The Thing will appreciate the physicality of how the monsters interact with the movie.

It can be a gift and a curse walking into a situation knowing little about it – both viewers and characters. The Void plays on this notion, dropping plot details like bread crumbs as you deeper into the movie. The opening scene sees two men who emerge out of a house and lights someone on fire. From there begins a juggle between the crazy occurrences that escalate. One would have to be really attentive to catch the clues of the main plot among the chaos.

This does two things: for one, it makes you want to seek out every fan theory imaginable. In some ways, good movies make you think beyond their run time. We see what is interpreted to be the void in parts of the movie, but you don’t get a backstory into how it came about. The main meat of the movie is in it’s centralized story that brings together Dr. Richard Powell (Kenneth Welsh) twisted ideology and the relationship between state trooper Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) and nurse Allison Fraser (Kathleen Munroe). There’s a past that’s talked about and from that, the greater picture in terms of legacy and lineage are brought into play.

In another way, it made the other characters the expendable parts. The beauty of The Void happens because it mainly takes place in one location. Within that location, it decays into something more sinister as the night goes on. As you go into the confines of the main story, you only really find out more about The Father (Daniel Fathers) through a evil-infused flashback. Everyone else just plays the quintessential horror movie role. These parts of the movie and plot act against it to where it can be too ambiguous.

The Void is a movie that shows the hellish insides of another dimension, but also acts as a time machine rounding up all the influences from John Carpenter and Clive Barker just to name a couple. A good, nostalgic choice just in time for the Halloween season.